Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, July 23, 2018
On Monday, 23 July 2018, in new crime of excessive use of lethal force against Palestinian civilians, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian civilian and wounded another one in al-Dahish refugee camp, south of Bethlehem. This crime and other willful killings lately committed by the Israeli forces prove that the Israeli forces deliberately aiming at dropping the highest number of victims among Palestinian civilians. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns this crime and holds the Israeli government responsible for the tense atmosphere in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). PCHR also calls upon the International Community to take its legal and moral responsibility and intervene in order to put an end to the Israeli crimes against Palestinians and provide protection for them.
According to PCHR’s investigations and eyewitnesses’ statement, at approximately 03:00 on Monday, a group of “Mista’arvim” undercover units dressed like Palestinian civilians sneaked into al-Dahish refugee camp, south of Bethlehem, to carry out an arrest mission. After that, Israeli forces backed by 8 military vehicles moved into the camp from all its entrances. The Israeli military vehicles then patrolled al-Fineeq Street and al-Salam, al-Jarishah, al-Walijah, al-Ja’afrah, al-Hawouz, and al-Dahiyah neighborhoods. The Israeli soldiers raided and topped roofs of dozens of houses and buildings, raided many shops after blowing up their doors and damaged their contents. Meanwhile, dozens of Palestinian young men gathered and threw stones and Molotov Cocktails at the Israeli soldiers, who heavily fired live and rubber bullets and tear gas canisters at them. At approximately 14:30, the confrontations, in which live bullets were used against protesters, escalated and extended to the camp’s main entrance…